Two motorway policemen were beaten bloody by a gang of lawyers at the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday, apparently because they had ticketed a lawyer for speeding.
Inspector Asad Abbas and Sub Inspector Sadaqat had been summoned to court on a petition filed by Advocate Rafique Ahmed alleging that they had confiscated his car and detained his driver. But on their way to the courtroom of Justice Abdul Waheed Khan, some 10 lawyers in black coats, led by Ahmed, assaulted them.
Both were left bleeding and in torn uniforms before the president of the Lahore High Court Bar Association intervened and took them to his office for first aid. He later escorted them out of the court complex.
Meanwhile, the court dismissed the advocate’s habeus corpus plea for the recovery of his car and driver, after a bailiff reported that he hadn’t found any confiscated car or detained driver. After dismissing the petition, the court directed Ahmed to approach the police if he still wanted to press the confiscated car complaint.
The motorway policemen, fearing a complicated legal hassle after the petition was filed, had even apologised to Ahmed on Wednesday night in the presence of Punjab Bar Council vice chairman Lehrasib Gondal.
Gondal said that both parties appeared to have reconciled. Asked about Thursday’s incident, he said he could not understand why it had happened.
Speaking to reporters, the policemen suggested that the lawyers had planned the assault. They said that when they had issued Ahmed the Rs200 speeding ticket, he had misbehaved with them and threatened them.
They said the petition he filed was false as they hadn’t confiscated his car or detained his driver.
They said they had tried to settle with him and get him to withdraw the case, but he had told them to come to the courts and then he would withdraw it. They said they had been beaten up and not even allowed to enter the courtroom.
However, the motorway police officials indicated they would not file a police complaint against the lawyers. After they were beaten up, LHCBA president took them into his office and arranged first aid for them. He then brokered another compromise between the two parties, meaning that the policemen would not lodge a complaint for the assault.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 30th, 2011.
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Great Job Pak Lawyers, Bravo! 1st you speeddrive, then you refuse to get Chalaan, then you threat cops to come to court, then you beat them up with friends, then your BAR leader make them apologize to the convicts like it was a neighborhood brawl, then he stop from filing any abuse complaint against Ghondas. Just where exactly are you taking the country. Now don't start a blame game here, you are not kids, or are you?